1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of targeted immunomodulatory antibodies and fusion proteins for cancer therapy and more specifically to composition and methods for targeted immunostimulatory or immunosuppressive antibodies and fusion proteins to counteract or induce immune tolerance of cancer cells.
2. Background Information
The immune system provides the human body with a means to recognize and defend itself against microorganisms and substances recognized as foreign or potentially harmful. While passive immunotherapy of cancer with monoclonal antibodies and passive transfer of T cells to attack tumor cells have demonstrated clinical efficacy, the goal of active therapeutic vaccination to induce these immune effectors and establish immunological memory against tumor cells has remained challenging. Several tumor-specific and tumor-associated antigens have been identified, yet these antigens are generally weakly immunogenic and tumors employ diverse mechanisms to create a tolerogenic environment that allows them to evade immunologic attack. Strategies to overcome such immune tolerance and activating robust levels of antibody and/or T cell responses hold the key to effective cancer immunotherapy.